- Patient is deemed (a) to be medically inoperable after evaluation by thoracic surgeon based on, but not limited to the following: baseline forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) < 40% predicted, post-operative FEV1 < 30% predicted, severely reduced diffusion capacity, baseline hypoxemia/hypercapnia, coronary artery disease, end-organ damage, or (b): patient has refused surgery after thoracic surgery consultation